Keystone (Crossbreed Series Book 1)

by Dannika Dark

  And Christian had kissed many women—enough that he often preferred to get down to business rather than wasting time on all the licking and sucking.

  He’d thought about their kiss often, rewinding to the moment when she’d turned and their lips met, remembering how stunned he’d been since she had professed nothing but hate for Vampires. Raven had a decadent taste, soft skin, and she knew exactly what to do with those lips. She kissed him as though she were starving for him.

  While they both tried to pretend it had never happened, it made their training sessions brutally uncomfortable for him. She avoided eye contact and held back on some of her usual quips. Was she ashamed? It made him even more adamant about getting her out of the house.

  He entered the training facility and scanned the empty room. Niko looked like a statue in the center, sitting on the floor with his eyes closed.

  Christian rocked on his heels. “Let me guess, she decided to skip the afternoon session.”

  Niko retained his perfect posture. “She never showed up.”

  Christian cocked his head and gave him a peevish glance. “Don’t be daft. Of course she showed up.”

  Niko drew in a deep breath and rose to his feet, stretching his neck and arms. “Viktor won’t allow her to make up for the time lost. It appears we’ve seen the last of Raven Black.”

  Christian seized Niko’s arm when he walked by him. “You’re telling me she didn’t show up all day? Not even a phone call?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m telling you.”

  “And you don’t find that the least bit suspicious?”

  Niko pulled out of his grasp and straightened his black T-shirt. “She’s not a predictable woman. Maybe she’s afraid of your scrubbing her memory, so she decided to leave town. I’ve spent hours considering different scenarios, and that’s the most logical conclusion. What more could she gain in one day? She knew she wasn’t going to leave this house with her memory intact.”

  Christian bit his lip because he knew otherwise. “What other reasons did you come up with?”

  “That she instigated a fight to test out some of her new tricks. If she lost the battle, we may never find out what happened to her. If she won, then she’s probably ill after drinking too much of his blood or stealing his light. Perhaps the real reason is that she’s not willing to accept the finality of this decision. The last day would serve as a reminder that she will not become a member of Keystone, and that is what concerns me the most.”

  “Why do you say that? She has a few coins in her pocket now; she can afford a place to sleep.”

  “This place was more than a roof over her head, Christian. Keystone was her salvation. When you strip away a man’s hope, you don’t know what he’s capable of becoming. All we can do is pray for her.”

  Christian snorted. “Pray to whom? The Mage gods? The Vampire gods? What god created us?”

  “The fates created us. The power that’s behind all the mysteries. Some things are too magnificent for us to see.”

  “Like the middle finger I’m flashing at you?”

  Niko smirked. “I don’t need to see your finger to know your intention.”

  Christian shut down his feelings and locked them up in a tight little box. “I told you not to do that with me. I don’t use my gifts on you, and I’d appreciate the same courtesy.”

  “Apologies. Some things are difficult to ignore.”

  Christian put his arm around Niko. “Well, no sense in wasting the day away. Let’s have a pint and do some celebrating.”

  Chapter 23

  When we arrived at Darius’s property, I gritted my teeth and held my chin high. I refused to let him see me as a defeated woman. Superficial wounds and handcuffs aside, Darius was going to learn he was no match for a woman like me.

  The guards had removed my gag when, after they’d placed a shirt over my head to blindfold me, I made heaving motions as if I were going to vomit. Hopefully they’d fall for it—I needed to get that strip of fabric away from my mouth. Words were the only weapon I had, and I’d be damned if they were going to deliver me like a prisoner of war.

  They guided me from the cab, and we ascended the outside steps to his building. When we entered an open room, they removed my blindfold. I didn’t have time to survey my surroundings as they led me to the left. It felt like a death march by the way the guards flanked me, keeping a secure hold of my arms with me one step ahead.

  When the smaller guy opened a door on the right, a gust of air swept my hair back. Everything moved in slow motion, including my heartbeat, as I marched at a determined pace toward Darius, who stood at the far end of the dimly lit hall.

  Our footsteps sounded like a stampede against the cement floor. Darius didn’t seem to have a clue about interior decorating. This place had a nightmarish quality to it, as if those white walls were closing in on me.

  Darius inclined his head, and a smile touched his lips. One of the men yanked me to the right and shoved me into an empty room.

  When I saw the lone chair in the center and a fireplace on the left with a fire going, I backed as far away from them as I could get.

  “You said he wanted to speak with me!” I shouted. “Darius!”

  “Oh, you’ll get to talk to him,” the big guy said, closing the door. “Just as soon as we’re done asking you a few questions.” He nodded at his partner. “Tie her up.”

  The smaller guy was afraid of my fangs, and knowing this, I forced them out and smiled at him. He came at me, arms wide, and I sidled to the left. There wasn’t a single piece of furniture in the room aside from the chair, so that left me with no weapons.

  Except for the two in my mouth.

  I stood close to the wall and bent my leg to anchor my foot against it, bracing myself to launch at him. His eyes widened when he drew nearer.

  “Move it along, Kevin. We don’t have all day.”

  “Then why don’t you get over here,” Kevin bit out.

  His hands moved close together, and I could see his plan of attack was to grab hold of my neck. He took one tiny step forward and lunged.

  I dropped my foot, and instead of attacking him, I channeled my Mage energy and spun multiple times to the right. I flashed across the room, stepped up onto the chair, and drop-kicked the big guy right in the chest.

  He wheezed as the air slammed out of him, and I crashed to the floor at the same time he hit the wall. The landing hurt since my hands were still cuffed. Ignoring the pain, I was scrambling toward the door to open it when Kevin grabbed me in a viselike grip, dragging me backward.

  I kept my legs stiff, refusing to sit when he tried to move me by force. The air and blood cut off from my head, making my limbs weak.

  “Get up, Declan! I can’t hold her for long,” Kevin shouted.

  Declan crawled to his feet, one hand on his chest, and stalked forward. With brute force, he kicked my legs out from beneath me and shoved me to a seated position. Then he sat on my lap to keep me still while Kevin wrapped a tight cord around my body, strapping me to the chair before I could sink my teeth into Declan’s back. Both of my ankles were tied to the chair legs, but those bindings didn’t feel as secure.

  When Declan finally stood up, he wiped his brow and strode to the fireplace. A log snapped as he gripped the handle of an iron poker and withdrew it from the flames. The metal had a dull glow that made me straighten up in my chair.

  “I have a few questions to ask, and you’re going to cooperate, aren’t you?”

  I won’t die from this. I won’t die from this, I kept repeating in my head.

  He loomed over me with the hot tool. “Who do you work for?”

  “I’m self-employed.”

  I clenched my teeth when the poker neared my face.

  Declan scanned my body. “Too bad you’re wearing that sweatshirt. All that clothing doesn’t leave me with many options of where to put this.”

  He flicked a glance at the man behind me, who gripped my hair and held my head back.

>   When the tip of the poker seared my neck, I jerked violently.

  He lowered the torture device and glanced at his friend. “You’re going to need to hold her head tighter.”

  Kevin’s hand covered my forehead, and I found myself unable to look away. “Don’t you burn me with that,” he warned Declan.

  “I’m not telling you anything,” I snarled. “The only person I want to speak with is Darius, so call him in here.”

  He bent down, holding the rod close enough that I could feel the heat. “Who do you work for?”

  “No one. I’m a rogue. Why would I be walking around with a duffel bag full of dirty clothes if I had a job?”

  “Wrong answer.”

  He lowered the flat end of the poker until it branded my left cheek. I screamed, slipping into a primal state of survival. The pain was unfathomable—sharp and real, pulling me right into the moment. My eyes watered, and my skin pulsed with searing pain that intensified with each passing second. He stood up, watching me writhe and bare my teeth like an animal caught in a trap. Tears were streaming down my face, reawakening the fresh pain that continued to burn as if he had never removed the iron.

  Oh God, I can’t survive this. Now I knew why men cried for their mothers when dying on the battlefield. I just wanted someone to make it stop, to get me out of there.

  Kevin let go, and as I sat there and sobbed, I became incensed that these two men were standing there watching me and laughing. I jolted forward, tipping the chair and sinking my fangs into Declan’s thigh. The momentum tore my teeth down his pants, cutting through his flesh in the process.

  He bellowed in pain, but I barely heard it over my own roar. When I hit the ground, Declan stumbled backward, almost losing his footing. If he kicked me in the legs, I didn’t feel it. I wriggled my body, trying desperately to loosen the ropes—the smell of burning flesh sending me over the edge.

  “Dammit, pick her up!” Declan shouted.

  Kevin wasn’t a threat to me; he was more of an annoyance. Men who couldn’t think for themselves would spend the rest of their lives as followers. Declan… Well, he had officially penned his name in my book of people I wanted to destroy.

  They righted my chair, and my chest heaved as I tried to capture a satisfying breath. The taste of his blood in my mouth made my stomach twist into painful knots.

  The door opened, and Darius entered the room. “What’s going on in here? What have you done?”

  My black hair curtained my face, and I was beginning to feel the pattern of the burn that started at the corner of my mouth and stretched across my cheek to my eye.

  I finally looked like the monster I’d become.

  “Get out,” he said, snapping his fingers. “Both of you.”

  Some of my hair blew forward as I breathed steadily, in and out through my nose. I must have sounded like a fire-breathing dragon. I was vaguely aware of the pain around my wrists from the handcuffs pinching my skin. My teeth were clenched, muscles tight, and shoulders hunched. Rage funneled through me in the form of energy, and I focused on leveling it down before it spiraled out of control and caused me to black out. That was the first lesson every Mage learned whether someone taught them or not: control your energy before it controls you.

  Darius tilted my head back and threaded my hair away from my face. “I instructed them to rough you up. This was certainly uncalled for.” He grimaced when he got a close look at my face. “That’s going to take a while to heal on its own. It’s a good thing they didn’t have any liquid fire.”

  The statement hung in the air like a thinly veiled threat.

  Darius plucked a handkerchief from his suit pocket and shook it out. He knelt before me and wiped Declan’s blood from my mouth. “Who is protecting you now? Why should you protect them?”

  “I don’t protect anyone.”

  “Who is Houdini?”

  I furrowed my brow. “I don’t know.”

  “Who was the man you were sitting with in the pastry shop? I want to know who lives in that house and what they know about me. My men followed you there, and something tells me your friends know my business. I don’t like anyone knowing my business. Are we clear about that?” A ridiculously long moment of silence stretched between us, as if he actually expected me to answer. “As much as I’d like to untie you so we can speak as equals, I don’t think cooperating is what you have in mind.”

  I steadied my eyes on the iron poker.

  “We haven’t been formally introduced, Miss Black. I’m Darius Bane.”

  “Delighted,” I ground out.

  He folded up the bloody handkerchief and tossed it into the fire. “Are they worth giving up your life for them? You can’t mean that much to them if you’re wandering the streets alone. Have you heard of the Shadow? If you’re who I think you are, I’d rather have someone like you on my side.” He stood up. “Let me get a chair so we can talk.”

  When he left the room, I searched for a way out. I can always throw myself into the flames to burn the ropes, I mused.

  Darius returned with a wooden chair. He closed the door behind him and sat down in front of me, his fingers steepled. “Who is Keystone?”

  I shook my head.

  “That’s the name I heard when you were screaming.”

  Oh shit.

  Those moments had been a blur, and I couldn’t be sure of what I’d said. What did it matter anyhow? I didn’t have any loyalty to Keystone.

  “I’m not with them,” I said. “He owes me a favor, so they’re giving me pointers on how to protect myself on the streets.”

  Darius sat back and ran his fingers through his curly hair. “Tell them you want a refund on your favor. I don’t see that it’s helped much, do you?”

  I averted my eyes.

  Darius leaned forward again, his eyes narrowing and forming wrinkles at the corners. “What has Keystone truly given you? Their loyalty? Their unwavering protection? It looks as if they have more important things on their agenda than protecting a scavenger. Groups like that will never elevate you to a better position. I’ve spent my entire life working to amass a fortune; all it takes is a little vision and good partners I can trust. It just so happens I’m missing my right-hand man. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

  I shook my head.

  “If he’s missing, then he wasn’t qualified for the position. You could fill those shoes, Raven. I can offer you a place where people will respect you and follow your lead.”

  I tilted my head back and settled my eyes on his. “You’re offering me a job?”

  “I’m offering you much more than that. I can give you a place at my side, and our empire will prosper. Choose the right opportunities, because you don’t always get a second chance. I can protect you from men who would harm you,” he suggested, his gaze fixed on my burn. “If there are people you love, then you already realize how your very existence puts them in danger. I can offer them my protection as well.”

  “I don’t have anyone.”

  His brows arched. “Oh? I’m curious why my driver had to venture all the way out to that gas station this morning. That’s a desolate side of town. The only notable place in the area is a human trailer park just down the street. You strike me as recently made, and I’m sure it’s not been easy to let go of your human life. I’ve seen it all too often. According to my men, that wasn’t your usual spot. Sometimes the biggest flaws a man can have are right under his nose.”

  My skin went ashen. Darius didn’t know who was in that park, but it wouldn’t take him long to find out. It was another indirect threat, and this time I gave him my full attention.

  “That’s what I do, Raven. I offer people my protection.”

  “You extort men for money. You’re the one they need protection from.”

  He chuckled and rubbed his cheek. “Aren’t we all our own worst enemy? This isn’t about good and evil; it’s about right and wrong. I know what it’s like to have nothing and for people to see me as nothing. The
se so-called laws stripped away everything my Creator had given me, so I’ve spent my life rebuilding what was wrongfully taken.”

  “You kill humans.”

  He crossed an ankle over his knee and regarded me for a moment. Darius was a well-groomed man, someone I could easily imagine sipping champagne on a veranda while an ocean breeze blew back his dark, curly hair. “These mortals will perish like flies, and that’s something you’ll realize in the coming years. Once you understand how long your life will be, you’ll no longer dwell on moralities. You have to preserve your wealth and secure your future. Why do you think immortals focus so much on money and property? You can’t live on the streets forever. Ten years? Maybe. But what regrets will you have in two thousand years when you’re wandering around in search of a place to sleep for the night? Prepare for the unexpected changes that will come, and you will be in a better position to survive.”

  My head was spinning. “What do you want with Keystone?”

  “If you’ve told anyone about me, you’ve compromised everything I’ve worked hard to achieve. I could throw you in an abandoned well or cut off your head, but you have connections to this group, and that makes you valuable. We can work together.”

  I barked out a laugh. “You just threatened to kill me. What makes you think I would trust you?”

  Darius shrugged. “I threaten to kill everyone. A rogue like you will never understand the baneful influence an organization like that is to entrepreneurs like me. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what they do, and by the looks of the property, I’d say they have powerful connections. You know more about them than anyone else, and I don’t sense you’re as loyal to Keystone as you pretend to be. This isn’t about honor, Miss Black. It’s about survival. Your survival.”

  “I don’t have any information that’s useful. They didn’t tell me their secrets, and there’s nothing you haven’t already figured out.”